Military more afraid of gays than terrorists

The military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy costs the government money and is discriminatory to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender citizens. The government and military should accept gays into the armed forces and should not discharge troops who reveal their sexual orientation.

According to a February 2006 CBS News article, the discharging of troops under the policy cost $363.8 million for recruiting replacements, training replacements and for "separation travel" for service members discharged.

In 2004, the policy was challenged by 12 gays separated from the military because of actions related to their sexual orientation, according to a December 2004 CBS News article.

One serviceman was kicked out after someone reported he was seen holding hands with another man, according to the article.

Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-New York, criticized the policy Feb. 7, complaining about the Arabic and Farsi translators fired after it was discovered they were gay.

The troops and the government are afraid of gays, Ackerman said.

"For some reason, the military seems more afraid of gay people than they are of terrorists. They're very brave with the terrorists, and if the terrorists ever got a hold of this information, they'd get a platoon of lesbians to chase us out of Baghdad," Ackerman said.

It is clear Ackerman was ridiculing the "don't ask, don't tell" policy and how it is hurting the efforts to fight the war on terror.

If the government continues to discharge troops due to sexual orientation, the military manpower will be very slim. Citizens can claim homosexuality as a means to get out of military service.

Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, John Shalikashvili, openly supported the policy during the Clinton administration. He wrote an editorial Jan. 7 for The New York Times claiming a change of heart about gays in the military.

Shalikashvili wrote he now believes that if gay men and lesbians served openly in the military, it would not undermine the efficiency of the armed forces. He also wrote that the departments in the Middle East have stretched the military thin.

Congress approved the "don't ask, don't tell" policy in 1993. The policy allows gays to serve the U.S. military as long as they abstain from homosexual activity and do not disclose their sexual orientation.

The government forces gays back in the closet in order to serve their country.

Americans willing to risk their lives for our country should be accepted, regardless of sexual orientation.